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Lobster Cooked in Court-Bouillon
Recipe by: (serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 live, whole lobsters, 1 lb To 1.5 lbs each

1 gallon water
6 quarts DK Vegetable Stock
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp salt

Method:
This quick and easy Court Bouillon yields tender and sweet seafood every time. It also firms up the meat if your lobsters are appearing less than feisty. I also use it to cook delicious Shrimp (3 minutes), Crab (15-30 minutes), and Squid (1 minute). Octopus takes about 1 hour.

Bring the water and all the ingredients EXCEPT the lobsters to a boil. Add the live lobsters to the water and cook for eight minutes. Serve the lobsters immediately.

IF YOU ARE MAKING A LOBSTER STOCK:

Cook the lobsters for one minute only, just to kill them as fast as possible, and remove from the pot. Separate the tail and the claws from the body. Reserve the bodies for the stock. Return the claws to the pot, and cook for three minutes. Add the tails, and cook for seven more minutes.

Meanwhile, make an ice bath with 2 quarts cold water and a tray of ice cubes.

After a total cooking time of ten minutes (add a couple of minutes if your lobsters are over two pounds each), drain the lobsters in a colander, and shock them immediately in the ice water for five minutes. Your lobsters are now ready to be removed from the shell.

TO REMOVE THE LOBSTERS FROM THE SHELL:

Crack the tail by pushing down on it sideways. Remove the center back fin. Grasping the lobster tail in both hands, push away on either side of the shell. You can now easily remove the tail meat.

Remove the small arms attached to the claws. Remove the meat inside by cutting through the shell with a pair of scissors or poultry shears. Break off the small finger on the claw by wiggling it sideways until it comes away from the main part. Crack the fat part of the claw with the back of a chef’s knife, and gently pull out the claw meat. Use the shelled lobster meat in your favorite recipe.

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